Footy Tragic

The Team:

Sydney has always been the team known as the dream team antichrist for a couple of reasons; firstly, their game plan sees very little ball use, leading them to be one of the lowest-disposal teams in the AFL. Also, due to the restrictive high-stoppage game plan which Sydney play, they often suck the life out of the opposition’s DT scores too. Therefore it is common knowledge; don’t ever name captain a player who is playing Sydney that weekend! Strangely though, I get this feeling we are going to see a slightly different Sydney in 2010 – their gameplan will surely stay the same, but an injection of youth and speed into the lineup should see them become more than just a one-trick pony! Whilst I would be far from recommending you to avoid Sydney players, I believe that this year there is some good value through their list, both in the form of first year players and in senior players looking to step up a notch in their careers. Also worth noting is Sydney’s regular success in getting the best out of new recruits. Therefore it is worth considering new Sydney tradees, McGlynn, Kennedy, Bradshaw, Seaby and Mumford.

Who’s Hot?:

Nick Malceski ($242,800): Since a breakout season in 2007 and a knee injury in 2008, Malceski has never looked like the same player – that is until this pre-season… He has been flying on the track and starred in all intraclub and NAB matches he has participated in.

Tadhg Kennelly ($204,700): After leaving Sydney to play in a Gaelic flag in 2009, Kennelly has returned, and fortunately with a sufficiently deflated price tag. His once weary body looks to have benefited from the time off and he is now looking super fit in the lead-up to the season.

Jesse White ($215,100) Has trained the house down through the pre-season and looks capable of taking a permanent spot in the Swans forward line.

Trent Dennis-Lane ($89,500): The mature-aged draftee has shone in both intraclub matches, kicking hauls of three and five goals against the Swans own measly defense-line. Should be capable of playing a number of games this year.

Lewis Jetta ($105,500): One of the younger players to take the NAB cup by storm, impressing with his fantastic pace along the wing. Has been encouraged by his coach and teammates to take the game on, and despite not winning stacks of the ball, it is what he can do with it that hurts the opposition. 

Who’s Not?:

Daniel Bradshaw: Had an arthroscopy to clear out his knee and is still recovering. The word is that he SHOULD be ready for round one, although I wouldn’t be taking any bets on that! Also, with no pre-season fitness base, he will take a while to find fitness in the real season.

Kristin Thornton: Had a limited pre-season after a knee cleanout.  

The Bargain:

Tadhg Kennelly ($204,700): Kennelly left the Swans at the end of 2008 to pursue a long-lived dream of competing in (and winning) an All-Ireland Gaelic football final. And fortunately for the Swans, his dream was fulfilled much sooner than expected with Kennelly’s club, Kerry, taking out the title in just his first year back home. As he tends to be able to do, Paul Roos convinced Kennelly to return back to Australia and to the Swans to compete for a second flag for the red and white. The great news for us dream teamers is that with his year out of the game, Kennelly’s price has dropped to one easily considered a ‘bargain!’ At his best, Kennelly is a strong rebounder from the Swans defense – in fact, he could almost be considered the best of them (and considering the Swans have four, this is a definite positive!). He was never a huge ball winner, but has the capability to get scores ranging from 60 – 100, and from someone at this price, you will very happily take that! Before Kennelly left for Ireland, his career with the Swans was somewhat in trouble anyway due to the amount of injuries he was getting, however coach Paul Roos has been very excited since Kennelly’s return – he has said that the year off from AFL, playing a sport such as gaelic football which is not very physical, has benefitted Kennelly’s body immensely – he is now as fit as he has ever been and has been tearing up the track in the pre-season. He really does tick all the boxes for a good bargain player – he is fully fit, a relatively consistent scorer, in his team’s best-22 and to top it off, he is in a good side. Due to all these factors, I believe that Kennelly will be a great pickup for the 2010 season, and whilst you may trade him mid-season, he is certain to make you quite a bit of money along the way! 

The Kid:

Jesse White ($215,100): White started his career as a backup ruckman to Darren Jolly, but found his niche when he moved to the forward line later in the season after the departure of Barry Hall. Fortunately for the Swans, he played the role with aplomb, becoming the most targeted player in the Swans forward-50 from round 16 onwards, and kicking 15 goals in this period (that’s just over 2 per game!). This year, with the quasi-retirement of Barry Hall and the recruitment of ruckmen Seaby and Mumford, the statement is that White is to be played as a permanent forward. He is a hard-leading player and very strong for his age (he is 22yo, 196cm and 105kg), so shares many attributes with the man who used to inhabit his position. The query above White’s head is where he will fit into the forward line which will also contain spearheads Bradshaw and Goodes. I believe that Bradshaw will line up at full-forward – there is no doubting this as that is where he has always played his football (he was never a CHF). Goodes has been talked up as the club’s CHF for 2010, but I don’t really see this being where he lines up. I expect he will play more as a high half-forward – more as a lead-up player who can crash the packs deep in the forward line as well as delivering the ball in from further upfield. He will still get stints in the middle, regardless of what Roos may be saying. White, I am certain will line up as the true CHF – he has played here through his two NAB cup games and looked very strong – he is also very fit and fast which will add to his ability to play this position. His scoring average is certain to go up from last year – he spent most of the season averaging poorly as a ruckman before scoring much better up forward for the last six games. Also, being young and adapting to a new position, he will begin to come along – I imagine he could average around 70 points for the year – think of Tippett last year; he will have the ability to score large, but due to the position he plays and his age and inexperience, you are sure to get some 40′s thrown in there too. I believe he is one of the better ruck prospects around the $200k mark and I am very tempted myself to stick him in as my second ruckman as I believe this will be his breakout year. 

The Premium:

Ryan O’Keefe ($425,400): After asking for a trade at the end of the 2008 season and then looking out of form for the first several rounds of 2009, it seemed like O’Keefe’s career was headed in a downward spiral. But fortunately, this was not so – in round 6 he was moved into the midfield, and it turn taking his game to a new level. He became the 2^nd highest disposal winner at the Swans and in the top 10 of the AFL from round 10 onwards. He also went through a mid-season purple patch in which he top scored with a whopping 173 DT points! Stats are one thing, and skills another – and O’Keefe has both! He finally proved himself to be an elite dream teamer in 2009, becoming to show consistency in his game, paralleled with his move to the midfield. Once again in 2010 he will be playing through the midfield so we should be able to see some similar numbers to last year. One of the impressive things about his game is his consistency – he rarely dropped below 80 after round six and scored over 100 nine times; he is the first player in a long time from Sydney’s list to be considered an elite dream teamer (and I’m sure it is an honor!). With McVeigh and Kennelly in the team, O’Keefe will not frequently be the target of taggers, and with his above-average height for a midfielder, it makes him even harder to match up on. I have little doubt that he won’t back up last year – and at his price he is very good value for a player of his quality. 

The Smokey:

Nick Malceski ($242,800): Malceski is an interesting case – he had a huge breakout season in 2007 where he averaged 87 DT points whilst running off the half-back line. Many expected 2008 would be another growing year for Malceski, however he ruptured his ACL in a February practice match, leading him to be the first player in the AFL to use a new form of knee reconstruction – it hurries up the recovery process due to the use of synthetic fibers which put in the knee instead of ligaments. He returned later in the year but was out of form; many blamed the knee and expected 2009 would be his year. 2009 rolled around and finished again, and in the process, Malceski had done anything but impress – he was dropped on several occasions due to form (which later has been blamed on a lack of drive), causing him to play only 12 game, averaging 55 DT points along the way – that is 32 points a game less than in 2007! This off season has been one of personal reflection for Malceski – he has come to terms with the limited life of an AFL footballer and has therefore put the foot to the pedal and pushed himself to be his best this pre-season. And by all reports, the extra effort has paid off – he is running a lot better than the past two years and is subsequently fitter; he has worked on his game a lot too which as a whole was reflected in his two NAB cup games where he scored 83 and 100 points. I read plenty about his work this pre-season and yet was still skeptical, so I was impressed with how he played in the two hit-outs (trust me, I watched him closely). I am quietly confident that this could finally be the year where we see him back at his best (or dare I say, better!?) and I am therefore locking him into my team. Yes, he is a big risk, but my gut feel is that it is one which will pay dividends!